Pros: I'm newer to the area (originally from MI) and love this sport! I was really excited to find out that there are an abundance of courses within a few short miles of each other! This one was one of my first stops.
The first thing that stood out to me was the canopy. The course was built under this lucious green cover to provide shade on the hottest of Florida days. Definitely an extra bonus to the course.
Now to the course itself.
Hole #1 starts right next to the parking lot and heads off to the north. It seems kind of dangerous to be throwing this direction since there is a really busy intersection about 30-40 ft. from the basket itself.
#2 has you teeing off right next to NE Coachman Rd. The basket is located though a tunnel of trees, slightly to the right.
#3 is shooting right back towards the parking (again, a weird basket location).
#4 has you going back into the canopy with low ceilings having the basket resting at the crest of a ridge to an overflow creekbed. Cross the bridge to the right and you're to
#5. This hole is one of the better ones. It's a simple shot to the right, but beware of the trees as you get closer to the basket. Also, gets pretty sandy there as well.
#6 is a short, straight shot to the basket. Although there is a small little hyzer shot to the right if you want to get sneaky and try and skip one up to the basket.
#7 is the first hole where a little creek comes in to play. It's along the right side of the hole and comes into play later on as well.
#8 is along that same little creek, with the basket being tucked away into the trees up on the left.
#9 is back out along the creek as well, but with a straight shot to the basket, with no hindrances.
#10 is towards the middle of the property with a tight line to the basket as there are trees lining both sides of the fairway.
#11 seems like it will be a tough hole, but if you can get your hyzer shot to make it through the foliage, you'll be right next to the hole. Definitely one of the more wooded holes on this course.
#12 opens back up along the creek and is a little bit farther distance than the rest of the holes here. Be careful not to grip-lock your shot or you'll be in the water or crossing the creek in to the field.
#13 is back tracked a little bit from basket #12. It is placed down near the parking lot, but has trees on both sides of the fairway.
#14 is over next to the porta-john and is a tight shot between two trees about 20-30 ft. from the pad.
#15 is across the Ream-Wilson Trail and next to a drainage pipe. Basket is heavily guarded by trees.
#16 has you throwing across the trail again. Be mindful of the small tree about halfway down the fairway as it will be a nuisance on any arrant drive.
#17 is a quick little throw to the basket. at only 230', your throw doesn't need to have much power to it.
#18 is through another tunnel of trees as you throw back towards the parking lot to finish your round.

Cons: Location, location, location! How many times have we heard that? That is my biggest pet peeve about this course. Many of the basket and pad locations have you either throwing towards busy roads, the parking lot, other tee pads, or across walking/ biking trails. Can be dangerous and hazardous to both people and vehicles.
The tee pads themselves. Yes, give them credit for being cement, but I found them to be either too narrow or too short for any type of solid run up.
Course Cleanliness. This course seemed to be lacking in that department. I don't know if it was because of the lack of grass, the amounts of trash I saw, or just the people that were there themselves. Just not a well kept/ cleaned course (take pride in your course, clean up after yourself).
Signage. There was little to no direction for this course. most of the tee pad signs were missing or were so worn down you couldn't read them. There were very few signs directing you to the next hole (some had Sharpee written on the top of basket pointing, other one was small wooden sign). This can be very frustrating and time-consuming when playing a new course.
Course layout. Although I understand that the designer(s) were working with limited space, the flow and layout of this course just seemed confusing and backwards at times. Back-tracking was very common thoughout this course.

Other Thoughts: Overall, was not impressed with this course. It could be more enjoyable once you learn the layout of everything.
Would be nice to see the local disc club take a little bit more pride in their course. Have a "course clean-up" day to go around and pick up the trash all around.
Definitely need to get some better signs up. A few holes seem to have bag poles, but not all of them.
If you're bored and looking to kill some time, I would say come here. If you are on a time schedule, I would skip this course.

Pros: See my full review on other box - overall a nice, fun place to play - and the best part is Clearwater DG store just seconds away! back 9 are as good or even a bit better than front 9. needs a bit of sign maint, but otherwise great golf. Ppl here are quite friendly and course is virtually free of trash.

Cons: None really cept lack of a sig hole and needs more variety in hole length. I have come back and played the entire 18... last time and the review was limited to just front 9. I will declare hole number 11 the sig hole. A great pinball tree hole with many ways to play it. You could plan hole 11 9 times and call it a course if you wanted to.

Other Thoughts: This is my disc golf course rating system. Each element of the course is worth ½ disc for a total of 10, ½ disc units or 5 full discs of rating.
My 10 categories are:
1. Quality of tee pads.
2. Quality of signage, both individual hole signs as well as a sign board and course layout at the hole one beginning location.
3. Course amenities. Benches at tees, garbage cans on course, disc bag posts/hooks, next tee arrows, etc.
4. Overall park amenities. Things like bathrooms, drinking fountains, playground areas, anything that improves the overall location.
5. Overall use of available terrain features. How well did the designers use what they had to work with?
6. Changes in elevation. Some courses have this occurring naturally. Others have created it. Either way it is vital that a good course is beyond flat… even in Iowa or Nebraska.
7. Variety of hole length. Is it mixed up? Some long, some short. Keep things interesting.
8. Tee and basket options. Are there tee options and/or alternate basket locations? Can the course be played different on different visits?
9. Signature hole? Is there one hole in specific that leaves an impression? Creates a unique memory?
10. Fun Factor - Purely subjective on my part. Did I have fun?

Coachman Park - Clearwater, FL

1. Yes. Good tee pads, but just a bit small for some of these longer holes.
2. No. Some signs missing, somw signs not readable, some signs in poor state of repair.
3. Yes. Some trash cans on course. No trash on course. I guess players use the cans where they are. Course is well worn and well used but there is a wonderful lack of trash on the course. Kudos to the locals for taking good care of their playground.
4. Yes. Overall nice clean park. Port-a-potty available. No other facilities… still a yes as this is a disc golf only park. No other reason to visit here… and that is a HUGE plus.
5. Yes. ZERO elevation here naturally or created. Good use of perimeter canal and interior terrain features.
6. No. No elevation what so ever.
7. No. Not much variety in hole length… all are mid length by my experience.
8. No. The course map shows a few 2nd basket options but none were present.
9. No. This course lacks a signature hole. All are basically point and shoot and quite similar. A few slight hyzer and anhyzer options, but mostly holes laid out where they fit and straight shots. The trees and other natural growth have made more of the holes than the layout would imply… straight shot, but trees in the way. &#61514;
10. Yes. This was quite a bit of fun. The overall use of natural trees and growth and a easy to follow plan makes this a great fun course to play. A bit of water for some risk.

Rating = 5 yes, 5 no =
2.5

2/2012 Played here again this year. I am a better player and this is a better course now that I have played all 18... I have raised my rating by 1 full point.

Pros: Nice use of small canal which comes into play on 7, 8, 12 an 16.
18 decent baskets with 2 long (often narrow) concrete tee pads on most holes.
Practice basket (even though it is crazy close to the parking lot)
Canopy provides lots of shade, as well as a most of the obsticles, under the canpoy there was suprisingly few nasty spike covered foiliage to eat your discs and slice your arms like many other area courses.
Good course for beginners due to low frustration levels and low chance of disc loss.

Cons: Design has moments of weak flow and serious safety concerns.
Hole 1 starts throwing at a busy highway with a busy road running down the right side, Why throw directly at an intersection on the first hole?
Hole 3's basket was was rediculiously close to the parking lot, hole 15 has you throwing directly over a busy trial.
The tee signs were worn down to nothing, they were absolutely no help, you could not even read which hole the sign was for on most tees. Some were ripped from th ground or missing.
Navigational signs are needed, at the very least a peice of colored tape on the basket pointing to the direction of the next basket.
Course was very crowded with discs flying everywhere, baskets all over.
Not a single sign to tell you there were 6 more holes across the street

Other Thoughts: Watch where you park so your car does not get whacked by a disc.
Porto-potty on hole 14.
I can't belive there are more holes across the street that I did not know about until reading Harr0140's review. Why spend that kind of money and not advertise it?
9
*edit question answered: The other baskets are only open for tournament use.
Clearwater DGC just down the road.

Pros: This course is a challenging mashup of similar nearby courses. While it is a bit shorter than the others, it provides difficult lines, low ceilings, and heavy shrubs. You could say Coachman park stands as a middle child amongst a proud family of local DG courses. Like anything else in the St. Pete/Clearwater area it has feverish support and committed locals.

Like I said this place is dedicated. All you have here is a disc golf course; no pavilions and very little peds. While a bike/walk trail does ride through a couple holes, it still provides a connection to nearby Cliff Stephens. Although this course doesn't provide what taylor lake does in maintenance or what cliff does in tournament readiness, it holds its own as a unique layout and tropical course, under low ceilings and shifting shot shapes.

Coachman is really bare. You come here ready with your beverages and willingness to spot out a good spot to pee. Although there isn't zero benches, it hardly compares to the amenities of other nearby courses.

You can certainly lose a disc here if you don't keep an eye on it. The creeks here are shallow but can be muddy in areas. You also have heavy shrub and bushy trees to deal with. All that being said, my least favorite part is the lack of grass and surplus of loose sand. Certainly makes for frustrating lack of skips when throwing under the low canopy.

Other Thoughts: While I may or may not have dissed this course, it's the one I've played the most.

It's certainly a must play in the Clearwater area especially if you are going to Cliff anyways.

Nothing bad can be said about the DG scene here and the people who make it what it is. Big ups to all who made such a dedicated course possible!

Pros: Good shade. Will be great in the Fla sunshine. For Kentucky hurler, was a nice change of pace with the flatness of the course. Good skip on landing due to leaves on ground. Friendly regulars.

Cons: A little crowded on layout. No mention on course that much better course connected by 16 tee box bridge (Cliff Stephens).

Other Thoughts: Playes twice in two days. First round with local player, good for layout and tricks. Second day with curious family members. A special day-ACED #5!! from back box!! 14 under (all as par 3's)!!!

Pros: 1) Practice basket is located right at the parking lot by #1 tee. I always like to see a practice basket to allow for practice putting and not interfering with people finishing on the actual course near the parking lot.

2) Portopotty is available in the parking lot. No other facilities on this property, but the parking lot is accessible on Hole #1, 3, 10, 14, and 18. That is plenty of access unless you have a Crohns flareup or Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or if you suffer from frequent urination.

3) Bench is available around the first hole and near the parking lot. There are also plenty of benches throughout the park. Garbage is also available for disposal of anything in multiple locations throughout the course.

4) Alternate tees are available on a few holes. They help to shorten the longer holes and also help to avoid the water in a few areas.

5) Excellent use of the winding creek on the property. The creek although low when I played, still has some unique features. There are plenty of switchbacks and peninsulas that create an interesting basket location.

6) The canopy in this park is interesting. There are a lot of tall mature trees, but there are also some lower trees that offer a low ceiling. This acts together to limit your shot selection. There are no tomahawks possible here, and you also cannot always excute a high shot because of the trees and lower shrubs. It forces you to throw low and hard to keep it straight and down. Watch out for the tough skips when throwing so low to the ground.

7) This course has some of the least amount of underbrush as any course I have played in Florida. I can always appreciate a well groomed course when it comes to palmettos (in the south) and buckthorn (in the north).

8) Water was used to create some tougher drives. The water is deep and I am sure there might be gators in there so it really makes you feel like you need to avoid those areas. It was nice they were able to incorporate some of the water around the course into play.

Cons: 1) This course is similar to almost all Florida courses in that it is totally flat. The only elevation changes on this course are due to basket locations tucked very near the winding creek.

2) Concrete tees are too narrow. I would much rather have a wider tee with less length because the most important part of the drive is the plant foot and release. The runup is less important in my opinion as long as the area surrounding the tee is level.

3) This course was very wet when I played it. 13 tee, 16 basket, 17 tee and 18 tee were all underwater and unplayable from their normal locations. I did make up alternate tees within about 20-30' of each tee that was under water, but the 16th basket was unplayable from 50-60' out since it was completely surrounded with water. This is in the dry season although I know they recently had a heavy rain creating the problem, but I can imagine at times this course would be unplayable. I would assume most of the course would be underwater or the fairways would be unnavigable when haevy rains come.

4) Signs leave a little to be desired. They are outdated and the distances that are on the posts are peeling and damaged. There is also some graffitti on some of the tee signs.

5) Course is a little repetitive. The first few holes are great and offer some different shots and views. Then the middle and end of the course have a few holes that feel just like others that have already been played. They still are all fun shots, but the feel is simply a little repetitive.

6) Layout of the course is a little tight in a few spots. This course is certainly set on a small property for 18 holes, but they make the most of the property.

7) Course does come across a walk path on Hole #14 and 15. This is the path that leads over to Cliff Stephens although I saw a lot more people walking over there, than I did at North East Coachman, but with the path connecting the two you may need to expect some possible delays on those holes.

Other Thoughts: All in all this was another enjoyable course. I cannot hold the wet areas against the course because it is generally a temporary situation. I am sure the wetness is also a problem in summer during the rainy times. I had a great time executing the shots needed on this course. There were plenty of trees, the water to contend with, and some real shot shaping holes to challenge me.

The usage of the creek in the middle of the course is interesting, and the areas on the property that have eroded recently also create some different shots. You cannot always plan on a skipshot to end where you want it. There are plenty of trees ont he course but also plenty of lanes to choose. You can throw all sorts of different discs in a round her and not as much due to distance throws but more so due to the low speed stability and high speed stability of those discs.

The course is located very near Clearwater Disc Golf Store, which is apparently one of the biggest stores in America. Most of this comes from online inventory because this is simply not that large of a store. It also is located next to the Minor Leaguea ffiliate for the Philadelphia Phillies. Catch a game on the way to Cliff Stephens when walking down the path!

I AM SO DISAPPOINTED I DIDNT KNOW ABOUT THE EXTRA 6 HOLES ACROSS THE STREET. I WANT TO GO BACK BUT IT WILL HAVE TO WAIT FOR AN ENTIRE YEAR.

Pros: The location is conveniently located near the Clearwater Disc golf store and is connected at hole 16 by a path to hole 16 at Cliff Stephens (less than a 1 mile trek). Coachman has a great variety of shots requiring both power and precision. One of the biggest challenges on the course is navigating through the woods. It used to be way more dense and on the plus side has made it harder to lose a disc, while maintaining the challenge of the trees.

Cons: There are a couple of holes that seem repetitive but for the most part this course will offer some challenges (#1, 8, 12) with a few easy birdies tossed in the mix (#3, 6, 11, 13). The holes do overlap just a bit and it makes it all the more important to watch yourself for disc golfers on other holes.

There are no facilities with the exception of a lone porta-potty. The signage is weak and could seriously use an update. A few teepads could use replaced.

Other Thoughts: One of the highest rated rounds ever shot was recorded here by Ken Climo in April 2009. He shot -23 on 24 holes, with a par on hole 1 and then 23 straight birdies! If you play this course you will see how ridiculous that is.

If you are in Tampa Bay try out Cliff first but make sure to hit Coachman when you get a chance.

Pros: Very fun course, that was short at time, yet technical. Mostly straight shots with obstacles, only a few doglegs. A creek comes into play on 4 holes and plays to the right. Only a few holes I would consider difficult, yet each hole supplied its own unique challenge
Nice flow, easy to navigate

Very nice, large, concrete teepads, with most holes having a short and long tee. Holes were in good shape. Trash cans at most holes to keep the park clean. Clean port-a-potty located at #14

Cons: Signage for the holes were pretty weak. Could use an upgrade. Flat, no elevation changes.

Other Thoughts: The park itself is really beautiful. Has all the Florida fauna and ecoscape. The creek is really cool with fish and birds. The park is fairly clean of trash

There is a lot of holes that you have to navigate around trees, so it was great to play a technical course. Also, the trees helped keep the shade on you and the temperature down.

The locals there seemed to be cool and laid back. Cliff Stevens DGC is adjacent, so you can get 21 more hole over there in one trip

Favortite Hole: #8- Plays with the canal and a large oak to your right of the tee. Doglegs pretty hard to the left about 200' out. Another large oak is right there, then the hole is about 150' through abunch of trees on the left side of the fairway and 2 oaks in the middle. I tried to roll it and bairly hit the big oak at the dogleg. I would love to get that roller down to the hole

Pros: Definately a fun course to play, I plan on coming back when Im in the area. Many of the holes have tight fairways and play very close to each other. The course is cut out of some pretty nice foliage. Makes pretty good use out of not much land.

Cons: Several holes were missing Tee signs and several others were of little use. Several par 4's and 5's could been 3's.

Pros: A wonderfully picturesque course that is great fun to play. The park is filled with old growth oak trees that create a canopy over the entire park. Even in the hot Florida summers, this course is not terribly uncomfortable to play because of the canopy. The course has a good mix of wooded technical holes and open "go for it" holes. Even though it is heavily wooded, there is always a fair path to the pin. Tees are concrete and there are good tee signs throughout. The flow is good and there are also directional signs in key places to help the first timer. The course is connected to Cliff Stephens and is also about 1 mile away from the Clearwater Disc Golf Store, which has more discs in stock then you can even imagine.

Cons: There are no facilities at the park

Other Thoughts: This is my favorite course in the Tampa Bay area. Cliff Stephens has some great holes and gets all of the press, but I'm not a big bomber and Cliff Stephens can be frustrating at times. Tocobaga is beautiful and well maintained, but it is sooooo tight that I'm always on edge while throwing there. Coachmen, for me, is just a great time on the disc golf course. I love playing this course, not only for the course design, but for the beauty and feel of the park. The last time I was in Clearwater, I almost played two rounds on Coachmen instead of heading over to Cliff Stephens. The next time I'm there, I think I'll stay for that second round and make it a fun disc golf day on one of my favorite courses.